


Dirty Chai

by TheSaraBeara



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-06 23:54:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19073251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSaraBeara/pseuds/TheSaraBeara
Summary: The mess hall aboard the Normandy is unusually full due to the delicious smell of bread filling the ship. An interesting conversation breaks out among the crew about scent and it is revealed that not only does Shepard notice Thane has a scent but that she likes it as well.





	Dirty Chai

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fan-fiction and story I have ever written. This was an experiment to see if I could write something that resembled a cohesive narrative. Please review, tell me how I did and where I can improve as a writer. Please enjoy this short one shot.
> 
> Disclaimer: BioWare owns all characters and places used in this story. It was written for fun, not for profit.

Dirty Chai

The Normandy SR-2 was like any standard space faring vessel, complete with rotating crew shifts between night and day. Though in space such a concept of night and day didn’t really matter. There was no sunrise or sunset. For that reason, the crew were equally distributed, and there was no such thing as a skeleton crew upon the Normandy at any given time 

Because of this, the mess hall was never empty, food was constantly being made and served for the rotating crews. However, today the mess was unusually full. Gardner had made a stew of some sort but it was the fresh handmade rolls that had attracted much of the crew. The smell of the bread baking had made its way throughout the entire ship and had called too many aboard.

Shepard kept a consistent pattern when it came to meals, she was a biotic and burned calories very quickly. Consistent meals were important. They highlight of each day, especially when Mess Sargent Gardner was cooking. He was far too talented a chef to be aboard the Normandy and everyone knew it. 

Shepard enjoyed eating in the mess with her crew, the idea of breaking bread with others somehow made the ship feel more like a home. It was also relaxing, even if only for a few moments. 

Wherever she sat, others always joined and before she knew it, she was surrounded. Tali, Garrus, and Jacob sat across from her, while Thane sat to her left and Jack and Zaeed to her right. 

Garrus and Tali were not eating the same as the rest of the crew because of their diverse digestive systems. However, whatever they were eating did not smell as delicious as the bread she was currently eating. And suddenly a question popped into Shepard’s mind. “What did the bread smell like to Tali?” Better yet “what did anything smell like? Could Tali even smell at all through her suit?” 

Shepard was known to be a blunt person, not rude, just to the point. In her line of work there was no time to dance around subjects and when she had a question, she simply asked. Her crew was also very used to it by now and it was a great tool to get conversation flowing. Little did they know, she always did it on purpose. It was a way to help everyone get to know each other better and create a community of camaraderie. Which is important to maintaining healthy relationships and moral on long voyages into space.

“Hey Tali, can you smell things through your suit?” 

Tali was taken by surprise and choked on her straw. She knew Shepard always choose someone each meal to probe with questions but so far she had never been chosen and she realized she was completely terrified of where this line of questioning would lead. 

Garrus annoyingly rolled his eyes, “Here we go.”

Shepard squinted slightly and glared at him, “I’m sorry Tali, and you don’t have to answer that question. I was just curious to know what this bread might smell like to you.”

“Unfortunately, Shepard, my suit doesn’t need to take in outside air. The filters clean the air I breathe and recycle it, if I need outside air, it is also filtered. So… to answer your question. No, I cannot smell things through my suit”.

“I understand. Thank you Tali”.

“You are welcome Shepard.”

For a moment everyone returned to their meals in silence. However, for Shepard, Tali’s answer only raised more questions and Tali knew it. She sighed heavily, “Just ask.”

“Oh for spirits sake, Shepard!” Garrus yelled.

Thane gave a low chuckle, he had grown to enjoy these meal discussions. He had become so accustomed to eating alone that he forgot what eating with others was like. He had also begun to notice that meal time seemed to be the only time Shepard openly voiced her curiosity for the mundane. It made for very interesting conversations that he would later mediate over. It helped him better understand the lives and personalities of the crew.

Shepard smiled “Okay, so you cannot smell things through your suit but could you smell if you were outside of your suit?”

“I don’t understand why this is important.” Jacob did not share Shepard’s curiosity for aliens or for things that didn’t affect her. Her questions were always completely irrelevant and somehow she managed to do it at every meal.

Shepard continued “I understand that you can’t leave your suit because of infection but if you could, then would you be able to smell things?” 

“I bet if she farts in that suit she can smell it.”

“Jack!” Shepard chastised. 

Zaeed burst out laughing and Jack soon followed.

“I’m sorry Tali, I didn’t mean to embarrass you, I was just curious but I’m done now, I swear.” Shepard gave Tali an apologetic smile. The goal of these questions were to create an atmosphere of common ground. To humanizes the aliens and vice versa, to help the crew and specialist team find relatable characteristics, not to cause embarrassment. 

Everyone returned to their meals.

“Yes, I can smell things, Shepard.” Tali responded sheepishly and Jack and Zaeed burst out laughing all over again. 

“Keelah! Shepard, why do you even want to know?” At this point Tali was frustrated for being singled out and she was blushing because she was terribly embarrassed but thankfully no one could see that through the glass of her helmet.

“Well Turians have a strong sense of smell but not as strong as Drell, correct me if I’m wrong Thane.”

“You are correct, Shepard.”

Shepard continued “Thanks. Humans have an okay sense of smell but it plays an important part in everyday life. For example, this food I am eating, especially the bun, smells delicious and that smell alone has attracted far more human crew to the mess than usual. I just wanted to know if Quarians experienced the same thing.” Shepard smiled and returned to her meal.

“For Turians, scent can tell you whether or not you are intimately compatible with someone.” Garrus added helpfully.

“Yeah, if she smells like shit, don’t fuck her.” 

Shepard sighed “Crude Zaeed, but I am sure it’s much more complicated than that.”

“Not really.” Garrus laughed which spread to others and even drew a smile out of Jacob.

It seemed the conversation was finally at an end and Shepard focused on finishing the last of her meal.

“Shepard. dD Humans use their sense of smell when choosing a mate?” Thane hardly ever added to these meal time discussions, he often enjoyed just listening. Occasionally, he would let his own curiosity show and he was definitely curious about certain behavioral patterns he had observed around the ship recently. 

Thane was a blunt person just like Shepard, when he had a question he simply asked, that’s why she and him got along so well and why she enjoyed his company. This is also why she felt completely comfortable answering his question.

“Yes definitely, an attractive man or woman is made even more attractive by the way they smell. Usually, being clean helps.” she turned to glare at Zaeed, then turned back to Thane, “but sometimes a little cologne or perfume is good too, that can always go a long way when trying to attract someone.” 

“Interesting.” His suspicions were confirmed. “It would appear I draw the attention of many human females upon this vessel.”

“That’s because you’re a green alien.” Jacob added. He did not like Thane and he did not like the attention he received from everyone on board, and he did not like how it seemed to come specifically from women. Thane was a dangerous vile assassin, why would anyone be attracted to that. 

“It’s because you smell like Chai tea.” Shepard blurted out because it was simply the truth. It was only mildly embarrassing to admit that Thane did indeed have a scent and that she had noticed and more importantly, that she definitely liked it.

“What is Chai tea?” 

“It’s a hot drink from Earth.” And that’s where she should have left it and stopped talking but really, where was the fun in that?

“Actually, you smell more like a dirty Chai tea. Which is a mix of coffee and espresso combined with the rich spices of Chai tea, like cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, cloves and black pepper. It’s truly delicious and once it’s all been drunk, it leaves your mouth and tongue feeling deliriously tingly.” 

At this point everyone at the table had stopped eating and were staring at her. She knew that she probably should not have said that out loud but ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’ and there was no stopping her now. At least this would give the crew something to gossip about for a while, keep their minds off the impending doom of the suicide mission that loomed over the horizon.

She turned to speak directly to Thane and lowered the volume of her voice just a touch for a more intimate effect. “But, it’s not just your scent that attracts them to you. It’s the question of whether or not you taste just as good as you smell.” 

She placed her elbow up on the table and leaned her head on her knuckles. She continued “See, it’s that idea they can’t get out of their minds” she paused for a more dramatic effect then continued “and that’s what draws them to you, Thane.”

Thane was at a loss for words. Was Shepard implying that she had the same question on her mind? This entire conversation would need further reflection, somehow it seemed he had missed something, somewhere. For now, all he could manage to do was raise his brows and blink at her. 

Shepard smiled, gathered her dishes and stood, “I should go...I think I’m going to make some tea. Anyone want any?” It was clearly a rhetorical question but that didn’t matter, the second she stepped away from the table the question was forgotten, the chatter began and that’s all that really mattered. This would give them some common ground, if that needed to be her, then so be it. At least it would give them something to speculate and gossip about for a while.

She just hoped she hadn’t embarrassed Thane, she really did enjoy his company especially since everything she had said to him was completely true.

She had a sudden craving for a dirty chai, and wondered if Mess Sargent Gardner had any in stock, if not, she was definitely placing an order for some in the future.

End.

**Author's Note:**

> Please review, tell me how I did and where I can improve. Special thanks to my two best friends for being my beta's and editors. Love you both!


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